Written Answers Monday 27 June 2005

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority, NHS board and Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation spaces there are.

Rhona Brankin: The following table details the number of dedicated alcohol services and the number of active clients in 2004-05 broken down by identified funding body as reported by Drug and Alcohol Actions Teams (DAATs) in Corporate Action Plans for 2004-05. These services provide the full range of interventions to support, treat and care for those with alcohol problems (including detoxification, day care, crisis management and community rehabilitation.

  Dedicated Alcohol Services In Scotland 2004-05

  

Funding Source
Number of Services
Number of Active Clients
Number of Services Providing Information


Local Authority
9
1,071
Info from 6/9 services


NHS Board 
18
3,523
Info from 18/18


Joint Funded
11
2,342
Info from 10/11


Unknown / Other
21
5,898
Info from 16/21


Total
59
12,834
50/59 services 



  Note: Services may be under-reported due to timing of the Corporate Action Planning process.

  The vast majority of substance misuse services in Scotland are for drug and alcohol misuse. To gain a fuller understanding of services available for alcohol treatment and support, a table detailing the number of combined drug and alcohol services and the number of active clients in 2004-05 is provided in the following table. It is not possible to calculate how many of these active clients were treated for alcohol problems.

  Drug and Alcohol Services

  

Funding Source
Number of Services
Number of Active Clients
Number of Services Providing Information


Local Authority
55
7,040
Info from 47/55 services 


NHS Board 
37
4,896
Info from 28/37 


Joint Funded
32
4,739
Info from 29/32 


Unknown / Other
77
14,752
Info from 60/77 


Total
201
31,427
164/201 services

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority, NHS board and Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation spaces were unfilled in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally.

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage GPs to refer patients with alcohol problems to local authority, NHS board or Executive-funded alcohol rehabilitation schemes.

Rhona Brankin: GPs use their clinical judgement and knowledge of a particular patient when dealing with patients with alcohol problems or any other medical condition. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has issued guidelines on The management of harmful drinking and alcohol dependence in primary care to assist GP and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the results have been of the needs assessments carried out by each alcohol action team with regard to in-patient and residential rehabilitation for alcohol dependency in their areas; what the Executive’s response is to these results; where the details of these results can be found, and what plans it has to improve the needs assessment process.

Rhona Brankin: Alcohol and Drugs Action Teams were required to draw up, publish by April 2003 and subsequently implement a local three year alcohol action plan based on an assessment of local needs and resources.

  The Scottish Executive provided individual feedback on each of these plans which were subsequently published on the alcohol information website.

  As a result, the Scottish Executive made available specific funding of £8 million over two years. We indicated that we would expect priority to be given to filling identified service gaps in the current funding round, using the Alcohol Problems and Support and Treatment Services Framework as a guide.

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to any concerns (a) that NHS boards may not fund any more placements in the voluntary or private alcohol dependency residential rehabilitation sector in the current financial year, (b) about any apparent reluctance on the part of NHS boards and GPs to use placements in the voluntary or private alcohol dependency residential rehabilitation sector and (c) about any failure by NHS boards and local authorities to work more effectively together to ensure funding for placements in the voluntary or private alcohol dependency residential rehabilitation sector.

Rhona Brankin: Under Joint Future, local authorities and health boards are expected to at least align their resources for particular services and to decide together on their use. The precise use of these resources, however, is for local determination

  The Scottish Executive strongly encourages NHS boards and local authorities to work closely together to plan and address the health and social care needs of their local population, including the needs of individuals with alcohol dependency problems. The emphasis on joint planning and joint working is reflected in local Joint Health Improvement Plans as part of overall community planning. The focus on multi-agency partnership working has also been reinforced recently through the development of Community Health Partnerships across Scotland which are intended to bring together the key providers of services (health, local authorities, voluntary sector) and the public to plan and design services that address local need. However, decisions on how resources are deployed to address local need is a matter for NHS boards and their partners.

Alcohol Misuse

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage local authorities and NHS boards to work together more closely and effectively when considering the placement of individuals with alcohol dependency problems in residential rehabilitation, including in the private and voluntary sectors.

Rhona Brankin: Under Joint Future, which applied to all of community care from April 2004, the Scottish Executive expects local partners to develop more holistic approaches to the management of services, the use of resources and assessing individual needs.

Autism

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities regarding access to continuing education for young people with learning difficulties, in particular autistic spectrum disorder, once they leave compulsory education.

Peter Peacock: Ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn regardless of their background or current personal circumstances is one of the five people-centred goals of our lifelong learning strategy. The Executive provides guidance to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council on the strategic priorities for the further education (FE) sector. This guidance covers support for students with additional support needs, including those with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

  Our recent publication, Partnership Matters, sets out the statutory responsibilities of further education colleges, local authorities and NHS boards on the provision of support to students with additional support needs generally. This publication can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/01/20504/49607.

  Sections 12 and 13 of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, which will commence on 14 November, places duties on education authorities to ensure early planning, information sharing and preparation for the transition to post-school life for young people with additional support needs, including those with ASD. Further information on preparing for adulthood is contained in the draft code of practice which will accompany the act. The draft code can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk. The final version will be published in late August and will be distributed to all local authorities and those with responsibilities under the act.

Care of Elderly People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17054 by Rhona Brankin on 14 June 2005, whether the two or more inspections of 99% of care homes during 2004-05 included an unannounced inspection.

Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-17054 on 14 June 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search . The Care Commission will be responding to the member with the information requested in that question.

  Detailed information on the type of inspections carried out by the Care Commission is not collected centrally and I have asked the commission to include the information now being sought in its response to the earlier question.

Crime

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the legislative responsibility for the implementation of the draft Framework Decision on the retention of data processed and stored in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or data on public communications networks for the purpose of prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of crime and criminal offences including terrorism would fall on the Scottish Parliament if it were to be implemented as it stands.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16495 on 23 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Drug Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value of illegal drugs seized by police authorities was in each of the last five years, broken down by type of drug.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not available, although drugs seizure statistics can be found on the Home Office’s website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/drugs1.html#publications .

Education

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are equipped with broadband internet access.

Peter Peacock: Information collected by Learning and Teaching Scotland in 2004 indicated that 38% of primary schools, 78% of secondary schools and 50% of special schools had internet connections running at 2Mbps or better.

Education

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many active school clusters have been established to date.

Peter Peacock: The organisation of schools are a matter for local authorities to determine. Information on cluster arrangements is not collected centrally.

Gaelic

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when its action group set up to find ways of recruiting and retaining Gaelic-medium teachers will report on a national action plan.

Peter Peacock: The Report of the Gaelic Medium Teachers Action Group, which was established by Scottish ministers earlier this year, will be published this summer.

Gaelic

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the likely impact will be on future Gaelic-broadcasting funding decisions for educational programmes of the recent recommendation by Ofcom that a dedicated Scottish Gaelic digital channel be created.

Peter Peacock: The vast majority of Gaelic educational programmes are funded by the Gaelic Media Service (GMS). Decisions about how much funding is provided for Gaelic educational programmes, in light of the recent Ofcom recommendation or any other developments, is a matter for the GMS.

Gaelic and Scots Languages

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing for Gaelic and Scots lexicographical projects and whether it plans to increase this support.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of dictionaries for the language and culture of Scotland and commends the valuable work that has been done over the years. Scottish Executive funding for Gaelic and Scots lexicographical projects is provided through the Scottish Arts Council and Bòrd na Gàidhlig, with additional support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Leverhulme Trust and other sources. The level of support for such projects is a matter for the bodies concerned.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any proven link between Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis and Crohn’s disease.

Mr Andy Kerr: Experts worldwide differ in their opinion on whether Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis (Map) causes Crohn’s disease. The Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens has on two occasions (1992 and 1998) concluded that a link could not be established on current evidence. A similar view was reached by the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare who recommended increased and urgent research activity to resolve the issue. The Food Standards Agency and the UK Health Departments have kept and continue to keep this matter under close review with their expert committees, but the evidence on cause and effect remains inconclusive.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the presence of Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis in (a) raw milk, (b) pasteurised milk and (c) water poses any health risk to humans.

Rhona Brankin: A link between Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis (Map) and human illness has not been established on the basis of current evidence.

  Food Standards Agency officials are not aware of any developments to suggest its advice on the drinking of milk needs updating at this time. That advice remains that there is no need for anyone to change dietary habits.

  A study of Map in water distribution systems and consumers’ premises completed by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) now part of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in August 2003 did not detect the presence of Map. This strengthens the view that drinking water is unlikely to be a source of exposure.

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the NHS has been of treating patients with osteoporosis in each of the last five years.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally. NHS boards are given a unified budget, increased by an average of 7.6% in the current financial year, from which they would be expected to meet the costs of treatment for people with osteoporosis.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to assign secondary health care budgets to community health partnerships.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS boards are establishing Community Health Partnerships as committees or sub committees of NHS boards with devolved responsibility for a range of functions and services as outlined in their scheme of establishment.

  The Scottish Executive provides NHS boards with a unified budget. It does not allocate budgets directly to Community Health Partnerships. It is the responsibility of each NHS board to allocate budgets and resources to fit local circumstances and to deliver the Local Health Plan. This includes assigning budgets to secondary and primary health care.

  The Kerr Report reaffirmed the role of Community Health Partnerships as vehicles for integration of services at a local level. NHS boards will be asked to consider removing any budget barriers to developing integrated care solutions and to consider innovative ways of using resources to enable the shift in the balance of care into community based services.

Health

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is (a) aware of the radiosurgery device known as the "CyberKnife" and (b) considering using stereotactic surgery throughout Scotland, or at least in the new cancer centre in Glasgow.

Mr Andy Kerr: The CyberKnife is one way to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery.

  Scottish patients can currently be referred to Edinburgh for stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy and The West of Scotland Beatson Cancer Centre is planning stereotactic capability.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, after April 2006, all stoma patients will be able to choose between obtaining their appliances either through community pharmacy contractors or from a contracted appliance supplier.

Rhona Brankin: Yes, all existing stoma patients will be able to choose their appliance supplier route, provided their appliance continues to be clinically appropriate, meets the laid down service standards and the supplier wishes to enter and accept the terms of the supply contract.

  The Executive will ensure that this is the case through directions and comprehensive guidance to the service providers.

  Perhaps I could usefully add that the new arrangements are being designed to ensure that current availability of services will be maintained and duly enhanced. This means that there will be no reduction in the range of appliances available to patients and, importantly, that new patients will not be disadvantaged by comparison to the current arrangements. It also means that the existing suppliers of appliance will continue to have the opportunity to enter into arrangements to provide appliance services that meet nationally agreed NHS standards, on which discussions with key stakeholders are currently taking place.

  Finally, I can advise that it is the Executive’s intention that the new arrangements will be subject to review after their first year of operation.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-16495, S2W-16933 and S2W-16934 by Cathy Jamieson and Colin Boyd on 23 May, 8 June and 9 June 2005, how it reconciles its assertion in the answer to question S2W-16495, that the matters contained in the draft Framework Decision on the retention of data processed and stored in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or data on public communications networks for the purpose of prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of crime and criminal offences including terrorism are reserved to the UK Government, with statements in its answer to question S2W-16934 that criminal investigation and procedure, including procedures for obtaining warrants, are devolved and, in answer to question S2W-16933, that the implementation of instruments dealing with judicial co-operation which relate to devolved matters of criminal law and procedure will fall within devolved competence.

Cathy Jamieson: We have no difficulty in reconciling the answers given to S2W-16495, S2W-16933 and S2W-16934. While legislation in the general area of criminal law and procedure is devolved under the Scotland Act 1998, the subject matter of the current draft Framework Decision on data retention falls within the reserved area of telecommunications and wireless telegraphy under schedule 5 to that act. The extent to which changes to criminal procedure are required will be considered in detail when implementing the Framework Decision, as will the reserved/devolved divide in relation to those changes. In view of section 29(3) of the Scotland Act, the creation of procedural rules specific to the Framework Decision – if any are required - may be reserved. However, general rules of criminal procedure are devolved.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Justice Department regulates the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals.

Cathy Jamieson: The committee’s statutory role, and that of its parent body the Council on Tribunals, is to advise and report to the Lord Chancellor and the Scottish ministers on the constitution and working of tribunals, and to report on such particular matters with respect to tribunals, or with respect to administrative procedures involving a statutory inquiry, as may be referred to them. The Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals is a sub-committee of the council, for which the Department for Constitutional Affairs has responsibility. Both the committee and council are independent bodies, established under the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992.

Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in each year since 1997 after leaving special school provision.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally. However, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is notified of detentions under the 1984 act and may be able to provide some information in relation to this query. They may be contacted at:

  The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland K Floor Argyle House 3 Lady Lawson Street Edinburgh EH3 9SH Telephone: 0131 222 6111.

Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in each year since 1997 were believed to have autistic spectrum disorder.

Rhona Brankin: This information is not held centrally. However, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is notified of detentions under the 1984 act and may be able to provide some information in relation to this query. The Commission have recently undertaken a study to provide an up-to-date analysis of the number of people with learning disabilities detained under the 1984 act and those people who are subject to welfare interventions under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. They may be contacted at:

  The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland K Floor Argyle House 3 Lady Lawson Street Edinburgh EH3 9SH Telephone: 0131 222 6111.

People with Learning Disabilities

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority has spent on post-16 care for people with learning disabilities and how much of this was spent on people with autistic spectrum disorder in each year since 1997.

Rhona Brankin: Information on local authority spend on services for people with autistic spectrum disorders is not detailed separately from spend on services for people with learning disabilities. Spend on community care services for adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities is detailed by local authority in the table.

  Adults Aged 18-64 with Learning Disabilities, Net Revenue Expenditure

  

(£000)
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-031
2003-04


Scotland
115,607
115,568
137,955
143,662
164,686
230,357
241,366


Aberdeen City
5,648
5,739
7,535
8,093
10,232
12,728
13,853


Aberdeenshire
6,593
7,074
8,384
8,568
10,691
14,193
13,847


Angus
1,790
1,706
1,749
2,158
2,115
3,876
4,707


Argyll and Bute
4,050
2,693
3,408
3,560
3,943
5,864
4,596


Clackmannanshire
338
323
677
622
512
1,148
1,202


Dumfries and Galloway
3,869
2,558
3,012
3,128
3,226
5,814
5,708


Dundee City
3,469
3,888
4,098
4,547
4,814
6,344
6,276


East Ayrshire
1,843
2,448
2,475
2,393
2,893
5,149
5,189


East Dunbartonshire
1,109
1,117
1,242
4,466
5,099
4,957
3,845


East Lothian
2,363
2,502
2,544
2,831
3,135
4,850
3,566


East Renfrewshire
1,311
1,946
2,101
2,303
2,274
2,132
2,065


Edinburgh, City of
11,353
13,704
15,411
15,755
17,564
22,094
22,184


Eilean Siar
692
740
743
871
977
1,308
1,555


Falkirk
2,024
2,012
2,221
2,150
2,211
1,041
4,760


Fife
7,622
8,877
11,389
6,694
9,613
12,691
11,988


Glasgow City
17,745
12,726
18,864
19,315
23,531
38,126
33,842


Highland
3,909
3,814
4,291
3,686
4,737
8,943
10,518


Inverclyde
1,533
1,596
1,464
1,720
1,785
3,063
3,152


Midlothian
2,174
2,657
2,628
2,880
3,022
5,111
4,655


Moray
2,544
2,834
2,620
2,916
3,126
3,882
2,110


North Ayrshire
2,255
2,319
2,617
2,764
3,244
4,537
4,391


North Lanarkshire 2
6,673
8,000
9,675
11,589
13,023
7,577
23,630


Orkney Islands
279
334
381
408
467
1,009
932


Perth and Kinross
2,720
2,911
3,620
4,158
4,439
6,800
6,826


Renfrewshire
2,789
2,969
2,901
3,556
3,327
4,344
5,072


Scottish Borders
1,664
1,842
2,576
3,289
3,739
6,699
6,758


Shetland Islands
703
806
1,086
984
1,338
1,623
1,949


South Ayrshire
2,105
2,412
2,945
3,507
4,015
7,117
5,286


South Lanarkshire
6,445
5,705
7,414
6,897
7,366
12,776
13,142


Stirling
1,865
1,483
1,727
1,738
1,896
4,934
3,964


West Dunbartonshire
2,994
2,534
2,477
2,372
1,799
3,792
4,412


West Lothian
3,135
3,298
3,680
3,743
4,533
5,835
5,386



  Source: LFR 3 returns.

  Notes:

  1. Figures prior to 2002-03 exclude home care.

  2. North Lanarkshire - high increase in 2003-04 due to change in the councils’ treatment of supporting people income and expenditure.

Public Sector

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish an up-to-date list of departments and agencies which it is considering for relocation, detailing the locations to which they may be moved.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive has published an up-to-date list of departments and agencies being considered for relocation, on its website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Public-bodies/Relocation/Introduction .

  Full information can be found there on the following significant developments.

  Of the departments and agencies under consideration, we expect to be able to announce decisions in the next few weeks on Registers of Scotland, sportscotland and the NHS special health boards – Education Scotland, Health Scotland and Quality Improvement Scotland.

  Other departments and agencies under consideration for relocation include the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council. With a lease break in 2009, a decision on location will be announced in 2007-08. Consideration of the location of the Scottish Arts Council was deferred until the outcome of the cultural review, and there may also be other relocation candidates from that sector announced following the outcome of the Culture Commission’s review.

  Other organisations under consideration for relocation will be the Scottish Court Services HQ, in advance of a lease break in 2009, and the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman before a 2008 lease break. We have already announced the future relocation of the Transport Agency, which will locate 200 posts in Glasgow. To add to that, earlier this month, the Minister for Communities also announced that Communities Scotland is to relocate 100 to 110 HQ posts from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

  Under the Small Units Initiative strand of the policy, which aims to bring the benefit of government jobs to fragile, rural communities, we have announced five relocations in the last year. They were the Transcription Units within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to Dingwall and Tain; the Central Enquiry Unit to Kinlochleven; the NHS Central Registrar to Dumfries and Crofting House Grants Scheme to Tiree. There will now be more relocations of Small Units, including the Convenor of Water Customer Consultation Panels, and another Transcription Unit within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

  The Scottish Executive has also published lists on its website of locations to which these departments and agencies could relocate. The lists have been developed in partnership with local authorities and local enterprise companies. This will allow relocations to be targeted at areas of most need, and make a strategic link between Relocation Policy and a range of publicly-funded initiatives already in place locally.

Renewable Energy

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many objections it has received in respect of the AMEC and British Energy wind farm proposal for the North Lewis peatlands.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has received 4,150 objections in response to the public consultation in respect of this application. Approximately 80% of these objections have been submitted by residents of the Western Isles.

Residential Care

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11691 by Mr Malcolm Chisholm on 23 January 2001, how many nursing home and residential care home beds have been closed in each of the last three years.

Rhona Brankin: The following tables show the number of care homes and the number of registered care home places for March 2000 to March 2004.

  The most recent three year comparison available is between March 2001 and March 2004. During this period the number of registered places has fallen by 1,246 across all client groups and by 308 in care homes for older people.

  The change in the number of care home places during this period is due to a combination of care home closures, the opening of new care homes, increases in the capacity of some care homes and reductions in the capacity of others.

  Care Homes for Adults in Scotland by Client Group: March 2000 to September 2004

  Number of Care Homes

  

No. of Homes For
March 2000
March 2001
March 2002
March 2003
March 2004


Older People
1,063
1,042
1,021
994
987


People with Learning disabilities
391
382
358
343
342


Physically Disabled People
40
45
44
41
42


People with Mental Health Problems
133
123
112
109
109


Other Client Groups
81
78
73
68
66


Total
1,708
1,670
1,608
1,555
1,546



  Number of Places in Care Homes

  

No. of Places For
March
2000

March
2001
March
2002
March
2003
March
2004


Older People
39,078
38,352
38,044
37,738
38,044


People with Learning disabilities
3,662
3,479
3,156
3,003
2,903


Physically Disabled People
826
656
621
525
546


People with Mental Health Problems
1,207
1,206
1,169
1,123
1,135


Other Client Groups
1,089
1,079
971
877
898


Total
45,862
44,772
43,961
43,266
43,526



  Source: Scottish Care Homes Census (SCHC).

Residential Care

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) private, (b) voluntary and (c) local authority (i) care homes and (ii) care home places there have been in each year since 1997.

Rhona Brankin: The following tables show the number of private, voluntary and local authority care homes and care home places for adults in Scotland since March 2000. The figures relate to care homes for all user groups and include homes for older people, homes for adults with physical disabilities, homes for adults with mental health problems, homes for adults with learning disabilities and other adult care homes.

  Comparable figures for 1997 to 1999 are not available.

  (i) Private, voluntary and local authority care homes for adults, March 2000 to September 2004

  

 
March
2000
March
2001
March
2002
March
2003
September
2003
March
2004
September
2004


(a) Private
800
789
772
746
742
741
732


(b) Voluntary
630
611
569
548
547
543
537


(c) Local Authority
278
270
267
262
264
262
255


Total
1,708
1,670
1,608
1,556
1,553
1,546
1,524



  (ii) Private, voluntary and local authority care home places for adults, March 2000 to September 2004

  

 
March
2000
March
2001
March
2002
March
2003
September
2003
March
2004
September
2004


(a) Private
29,296
29,165
28,969
28,719
28,745
29,051
29,071


(b) Voluntary
9,230
8,657
8,288
7,964
7,945
7,837
7,777


(c) Local Authority
7,336
6,950
6,704
6,615
6,670
6,638
6,433


Total
45,862
44,772
43,961
43,298
43,360
43,526
43,281



  Source: Scottish Care Homes Census (SCHC).

Schools

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital funding it has provided to (a) state and (b) independent special schools since 1997, broken down by sector and local authority area.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive does not provide capital funding direct to either state or independent special schools. Capital funding is provided to local authorities, but they themselves decide on the details of their expenditure programmes.

Schools

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the responses to its consultation on the draft Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Bill were in favour of the retention of school boards, either as they are or with some amendment, improvement or adjustment to their current form, and what percentage of the responses received were totally committed to their abolition.

Peter Peacock: The information requested is not available. Responses are still being analysed.

Sexual Health

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is an inclusive, informed debate and a consensus on the values needed to underpin the effective implementation of its sexual health strategy, Respect and Responsibility .

Mr Andy Kerr: The sexual health strategy is based upon responses received to a wide ranging and inclusive consultation process. The implementation of that strategy will be guided by the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee, chaired by myself. The membership of this committee is drawn from key stakeholders including health and local authority interests, voluntary organisations and faith groups.

Sexual Health

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure the practical integration of HIV interventions into the action plan of its sexual health strategy, Respect and Responsibility.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that prevention and community support are made a priority in implementing the aims of its sexual health strategy, Respect and Responsibility, in light of the lessons learned in Lothian’s collaborative approaches to HIV in the 1980s and 1990s and to sexual health under the Executive’s Healthy Respect initiative.

Mr Andy Kerr: NHS boards have been asked to submit detailed clinical plans and inter-agency strategies to support the delivery of the Sexual Health Strategy by end September 2005. These will include demonstrable evidence on collaborative approaches in responding to prevention and community initiatives on sexual ill health.

Sexual Health

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific resources will be made available to the voluntary and community sectors to enable them to contribute effectively to the implementation of the Executive’s sexual health strategy, Respect and Responsibility.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive has agreed additional funding of £15 million over the next three financial years to help with the implementation of the strategy. Most of the first year’s funding of £5 million, some £4.5 million, has already been made available to NHS boards and is directed towards improving frontline clinical services and in particular, reducing waiting times and improving service access and availability.

  This is new money which is in addition to the resources already being spent by NHS boards and other agencies taking forward sexual health initiatives on behalf of the Executive and in 2005-06 is approximately £10.5 million. Over £500,000 of these funds has gone to voluntary organisations.

  I have also asked NHS boards, in collaboration with other local stakeholders such as local authorities and voluntary sector partners, to provide local interagency sexual health strategies that reflect the underpinning principles and general themes of Respect and Responsibility. The voluntary sector is also well represented on the National Sexual Health Advisory Committee, which will advise the delivery of the national strategy.